Taliban open fire during hijab protest in Afghanistan

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan cracked down on a protest over women's dress code violations on Tuesday, with multiple witnesses reporting shots being fired.

Between 100 and 150 Afghan men had reportedly gathered in the western city of Herat to show their solidarity with more than a dozen women who had been arrested last week for going out in public without a full chador cloak or face-covering burqa.

But security forces dispersed the protest using "sticks, whips and firearms," one witness told the AFP news agency, adding: "They even fired shots into the air."

Another witness also reported seeing shots being fired into the air, saying: "Some people were injured. I saw blood on the road."

Whether the injuries were caused by the shots or by other use of force was unclear, as was the precise number of wounded.

A photographer at the rally told AFP he saw security forces "striking protesters and firing weapons in the direction of the crowd," adding: "A significant number of people were injured."

A spokesman for Herat police said that people "attempted to gather and create tensions under the pretext of protesting issues related to the observance of the hijab" dress code.

"Thanks to the timely presence of security forces, the situation was brought fully under control, and further escalation of tensions was prevented," he added.

Protest under the Taliban

The protest had reportedly been organized via social media where residents were called upon to "defend the rights of our sisters."

Such civil action is rare in Afghanistan where, since the chaotic withdrawal of US-led forces in 2021, the Taliban have returned to power and imposed rules governed by a strict interpretation of Islamic, or Sharia, law.

The regulations include draconian restrictions on women and girls, including bans on education beyond primary school and what women can wear.

The rules are enforced by the Taliban's feared "morality police" from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Dissent is not tolerated and protests against government decisions are illegal.

"The issues being spread about women being arrested in Herat are all rumors," read a ministry statement, adding that the wearing of the hijab is "a divine command, a law that we are obliged to implement."

UN alarmed by 'excessive use of force'

One human rights monitor told AP on Monday, however, that they had verified at least 16 detentions in Herat since Friday over alleged non-compliance with dress requirements, including a pregnant woman.

Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the Taliban's "apparent use of lethal force ... is very concerning" and expressed concern at the "arbitrary detention of women for so-called inappropriate clothing."

She called on the Taliban to "immediately release all those detained for peaceful protest and provide health services to those injured."

Richard Bennett, the United Nations' investigator on human rights in Afghanistan, said he was "alarmed by excessive use of force against seemingly peaceful protesters in Herat today" and said those responsible for the violence should be held accountable.

In a post on social media, he said: "It's time to defuse the tension, respect citizens' freedom of expression, especially women and girls, and avoid further harm."